Astrochemistry

Name:
Astrochemistry
Detailed information:
Application of radioastronomy (microwave spectroscopy) to determination of the existence of chemical entities in the gas clouds of interstellar space and of elements and compounds in celestial bodies, including their atmospheres. Such data are obtained from spectrographic study of the light from the sun and stars, from analysis of meteorites, and from actual samples from the moon. Hydrogen is by far the most abundant element in interstellar space, with helium a distant second. Over 25% of the elements, including carbon, have been identified, as well as molecules of water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, ethane, methane, acetylene, formaldehyde, formic acid, methyl alcohol, hydrogen cyanide, and acetonitrile. When applied to the planets only, the science is called chemical planetology.See Nucleogenesis.